JP2005219683A - Vehicular interior air-purifying device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vehicular air-purifying device capable of suppressing excessive power consumption by effectively being actuated. <P>SOLUTION: The vehicular air-purifying device comprises passenger detecting means 41, 42 and 43 for detecting the presence or absence of a passenger in a vehicular interior; vehicular interior air state detecting means 45, 46 and 47 for detecting the state of air in the vehicular interior; a generator 36 for supplying ozone in the vehicular interior 14; and a control means 40 for controlling the actuation of the generator 36 on the basis of detection results of the passenger detecting means 41, 42 and 43 and the vehicular interior air state detecting means 45, 46 and 47. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle interior air purifier that can suppress wasteful power consumption by operating efficiently.

In a vehicle air conditioner, an unpleasant odor may be generated due to mold or the like. To reduce such an odor, an ozone generator is disposed at a position immediately downstream of the blower of the vehicle air conditioner. When it is detected that there is no occupant in the room, there is a technique for deodorizing by driving a blower and generating ozone for a certain period of time by an ozone generator (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
Further, in a vehicle air cleaning device, there is a technique for generating ozone and negative ions for a certain period of time when an ignition key is turned off in order to remove the smell of tobacco remaining in the passenger compartment (see, for example, Patent Document 2).
JP-A-8-258562 JP 2002-2268 A

  However, in any of the above-described techniques, when it is detected that there is no passenger in the vehicle interior or the ignition key is turned off, ozone is generated regardless of the air condition in the vehicle interior. Therefore, there is a possibility that it is driven and wastefully consumes electric power even if it is not necessary to generate ozone.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle air cleaning device that can suppress wasteful power consumption by operating efficiently.

  In order to achieve the above-described object, the invention according to claim 1 is a vehicle occupant detection means for detecting the presence or absence of an occupant in a passenger compartment (for example, the passenger compartment 14 in the embodiment) (for example, the control device 40 and the seat sensor 41 in the embodiment). , Ignition key 42, door opening / closing sensor 43), vehicle interior air condition detection means for detecting the air condition in the vehicle interior (for example, temperature sensor 45, humidity sensor 46, particle sensor 47 in the embodiment), and ozone in the vehicle interior. Generator (for example, the generator 36 in the embodiment) and control means (for example, the control in the embodiment) for controlling the operation of the generator based on the detection results of the occupant detection means and the passenger compartment air condition detection means. Device 40).

  The invention according to claim 2 is the invention according to claim 1, wherein the generator is connected to an intermediate position of a defroster duct (for example, the defroster duct 26 in the embodiment) of an air conditioner (for example, the air conditioner 15 in the embodiment). It is characterized by being.

  The invention according to claim 3 is characterized in that, in the invention according to claim 2, the generator includes a dedicated blower fan (for example, the blower fan 37 in the embodiment).

  The invention according to claim 4 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the vehicle interior air condition detection means is at least one of air temperature, humidity, and air particle amount in the vehicle interior. It is characterized by detecting one.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the control means generates the generator based on the detection results of the occupant detection means for detecting the presence or absence of an occupant in the passenger compartment and the air condition detection means for detecting the air condition in the passenger compartment. Is operated to supply ozone into the passenger compartment. Thus, since the generator is operated based on the detection result of the air condition in the passenger compartment, it is not necessary to drive the generator in a state where the air condition in the passenger compartment does not need to generate ozone. It is possible to prevent wasteful power consumption. Therefore, it operates efficiently and wasteful power consumption can be suppressed.

  According to the invention which concerns on Claim 2, since the generator is connected to the middle position of the defroster duct of an air conditioner, ozone can be supplied into a vehicle interior using this defroster duct. Therefore, since the path length until the ozone generated by the generator is supplied to the passenger compartment can be shortened, attenuation of ozone can be suppressed. In addition, since the defroster duct is used, ozone is blown upward from the defroster outlet facing upward in the passenger compartment and diffused throughout the passenger compartment, thereby enhancing the cleaning effect. In addition, since ozone is supplied through the defroster duct, it is possible to reduce off-flavors during operation of the air conditioner.

  According to the invention which concerns on Claim 3, since a generator is equipped with the exclusive ventilation fan, it can supply ozone to a vehicle interior, without driving the blower with large power consumption of an air conditioner. In addition, since the generator is connected to the middle position of the defroster duct of the air conditioner and the path length is short, even a small blower fan can sufficiently supply ozone into the passenger compartment, and the generator can be downsized and Power saving can be achieved.

  According to the fourth aspect of the invention, the vehicle interior air condition detection means detects at least one of the temperature, humidity, and air particle amount in the vehicle interior, so that the air condition in the vehicle interior is accurately determined. Can be detected.

A vehicle interior air purifier according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 schematically shows the periphery of an instrument panel 12 of a vehicle 11, and an air conditioner is provided in an instrument panel 12 disposed below a front windshield 13 in a passenger compartment 14 of the vehicle 11. 15 is provided.

  The air conditioner 15 includes an air conditioner unit 16 shown in FIG. 1 and a blower unit (not shown). The air conditioner unit 16 extends from the bottom surface to the upper surface on one side in the horizontal direction in the unit case 17. An evaporator 18 is disposed, and a heater core 19 is disposed on the opposite side in the horizontal direction in the unit case 17 so as to extend from the bottom surface of the unit case 17 to the front of the top surface. Here, a duct 21 that guides air from the blower unit to the evaporator 18 is provided on the side of the air conditioner unit 16 opposite to the heater core 19 of the evaporator 18. The blower unit is arranged on the upstream side of the duct 21, an inside / outside air switching door that switches the air taken into the duct 21 to the outside air and the inside air, and a blower that generates an air flow in a direction to be introduced into the duct 21. have.

  Sliding air mix doors 22 and 23 are provided between the evaporator 18 and the heater core 19. These air mix doors 22 and 23 adjust the mixing ratio of hot air and cold air. In other words, depending on the position of the air mist doors 22 and 23, if the air guided from the duct 21 to the evaporator 18 by the blower passes through the evaporator 18 after passing through the evaporator 18, it becomes warm air and passes through the evaporator 18. If it flows in the flow path which does not pass the heater core 19 after that, it will become cold wind. The air misk doors 22 and 23 adjust the sizes of these flow paths.

  A common outlet 25 is provided on the downstream side of the evaporator 18 and the heater core 19 in the unit case 17, and the common outlet 25 guides the air from the common outlet 25 to blow mainly toward the front windshield 13. The defroster duct 26, the face duct 27 for guiding the air from the common outlet 25 mainly to blow out toward the upper body of the occupant, and the guide for blowing out the air from the common outlet 25 mainly toward the feet of the occupant. The foot duct 28 is in communication.

  Here, the defroster duct 26 has a shape in which the downstream portion on the side of the passenger compartment 14 is inclined so as to be located on the rear side in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body toward the upper side, and is opened at the air outlet 30 on the upper surface of the instrument panel 12. doing. The air outlet 30 is directed to a lower position of the front windshield 13. By having such a blower outlet 30, the defroster duct 26 blows out air so as to flow upward along the front windshield 13. In addition, this blower outlet 30 is formed over the substantially full length range in the vehicle width direction of the instrument panel 12. FIG.

  Between the common outlet 25 and the defroster duct 26, the face duct 27, and the foot duct 28, mode switching doors 31 and 32 for switching the air flow from the common outlet 25 to the ducts 26 to 28 are provided.

  The vehicle interior air purifier 35 of the present embodiment has a generator 36 that can generate ozone and negative ions, and this generator 36 is also provided in the instrument panel 12. The generator 36 generates ozone when one generator 36 performs corona discharge, and generates negative ions by performing pulse discharge. The generator 36 includes a dedicated blower fan 37. The generator 36 is connected to a position in the middle of the defroster duct 26 on the downstream side of the mode switching doors 31 and 32 of the air conditioner 15 described above, and the generated ozone or negative ions together with air, for example, a blower fan. At 37, the air is sent out to the defroster duct 26 and blown out into the vehicle compartment 14 through the outlet 30 of the defroster duct 26.

  And the vehicle interior air purifier 35 of this embodiment has the control apparatus (occupant detection means, control means) 40 which controls the action | operation of the said generator 36, as shown in FIG. 40 includes a seat sensor (occupant detection means) 41 provided on a seat cushion (not shown) for detecting the presence / absence of an occupant seated on the seat cushion in order to detect the presence / absence of an occupant in the passenger compartment 14; 11 is connected to an ignition key (occupant detection means) 42 for switching on / off of the main power source and a door open / close sensor (occupant detection means) 43 for detecting the open / closed state of the passenger door. The seat sensor 41, the ignition key 42, and the door opening / closing sensor 43 also constitute the vehicle interior air cleaning device 35 of the present embodiment.

  The seat sensor 41 outputs an ON signal to the control device 40 when seated on the seat cushion, and does not output an ON signal to the control device 40 when there is no seat cushion. The ignition key 42 outputs an ON signal to the control device 40 when the key is inserted into the key hole and is in the accessory position or in the ON position, and controls the ON signal when the key is not in these positions. No output is made to the device 40. The door opening / closing sensor 43 outputs an ON signal to the control device 40 when any one of the passenger doors is open, and does not output an ON signal when all the passenger doors are closed.

  The control device 40 detects the presence of a passenger in the passenger compartment 14 when an on signal is output from at least one of the seat sensor 41, the ignition key 42, and the door opening / closing sensor 43. On the other hand, when the on signal is stopped, that is, turned off by all of the seat sensor 41, the ignition key 42, and the door opening / closing sensor 43, the control device 40 detects the absence of an occupant in the passenger compartment 14.

  Further, the vehicle interior air purifier 35 detects a state of air in the vehicle interior 14 in order to detect a temperature sensor (vehicle interior air condition detection means) 45, a humidity sensor (vehicle interior air condition detection means) 46, dust and the like. And a battery voltage sensor 48 for detecting the voltage of the battery. These temperature sensor 45, humidity sensor 46, and particle sensor 47 are also provided. The battery voltage sensor 48 is also connected to the control device 40.

  Then, the control device 40 shows the operation of the generator 36 based on the detection results of the seat sensor 41, the ignition key 42, the door opening / closing sensor 43, the temperature sensor 45, the humidity sensor 46 and the particle sensor 47 shown in FIG. Control according to This control is started when an ON signal is output from the ignition key 42, for example.

  First, the control device 40 detects whether or not the detected value of the battery voltage sensor 48 exceeds a predetermined value at which it can be determined that the battery voltage is sufficiently charged, in order to protect the battery from discharging (step S1). .

  In step S1, when the detected value of the battery voltage sensor 48 exceeds a predetermined value, the control device 40 determines whether or not there is no passenger in the passenger compartment 14 and whether the seat sensor 41, the ignition key 42, and the door. Detection is made based on whether or not all the open / close sensors 43 are in an off state in which no on signal is output (step S2). If an on signal is output from at least one of the seat sensor 41, the ignition key 42, and the door opening / closing sensor 43, the control device 40 determines that there is an occupant in the passenger compartment 14, Negative ions are generated by causing the generator 36 to perform pulse discharge (step S3).

  Next, the control device 40 determines whether or not the air conditioner 15 is in a defroster airflow generation mode in which air flows through the defroster duct 26 (step S4). Return to. As a result, the negative ions generated by the generator 36 are sucked to the middle position of the defroster duct 26 by the airflow in the defroster duct 26 by the air conditioner 15, blown out from the outlet 30 via the defroster duct 26, and front wind It rises along the shield 13 and diffuses into the passenger compartment 14.

  On the other hand, when the air conditioner 15 is not in the defroster airflow generation mode in step S4, the control device 40 drives the blower fan 37 (step S5). Then, the generated negative ions are sent out to the midway position of the defroster duct 26 by the blower fan 37, blown out from the blowout port 30 through the defroster duct 26, rise along the front windshield 13, and enter the vehicle interior 14. Spread.

  In step S2, if all of the seat sensor 41, the ignition key 42, and the door opening / closing sensor 43 are in an off state that does not output an on signal, the control device 40 determines that there is no passenger in the passenger compartment 14. The operation and stoppage of ozone generation by the generator 36 are determined from the vehicle interior air temperature detected by the temperature sensor 45 and the vehicle interior air humidity detected by the humidity sensor 46, for example, under the operating conditions shown in FIG. S6).

  That is, as shown in FIG. 4A, the temperature is compared with the first threshold value and the second threshold value set in advance, and a low temperature state lower than the first threshold value, The vehicle interior air temperature state is classified into an intermediate temperature state that is equal to or higher than the threshold value and lower than the second threshold value, and a high temperature state that is equal to or higher than the second threshold value. Also, the humidity is compared with the first threshold value and the second threshold value set in advance. The humidity is lower than the first threshold value, and the second threshold value is higher than the first threshold value. The vehicle interior air humidity state is classified into a medium humidity state lower than the value and a high humidity state equal to or higher than the second threshold value.

  When the vehicle interior air temperature is in a high temperature state, the vehicle is temporarily determined to operate regardless of the vehicle interior air humidity state. When the vehicle interior air humidity is in a high humidity state, the vehicle interior In addition to the case where the air temperature state is a high temperature state, it is determined that the operation is tentatively performed when the vehicle interior air temperature state is an intermediate temperature state. On the other hand, if it is in a state other than these, it is temporarily determined to stop. This can be effectively performed by generating ozone because the smell generated from the resin material tends to increase when the air temperature in the passenger compartment is high. When the indoor air humidity is in a high humidity state, ozone is removed from the air conditioner 15 because mold is likely to be generated in the air conditioner 15 only when the vehicle interior air temperature is in a high temperature state or a medium temperature state. It is because it can carry out effectively by generating.

  In addition to the above conditions, as shown in FIG. 4 (b), one threshold is set for the amount of particles, a low particle amount state lower than this threshold, It is classified into two vehicle interior air particle amount states in the high particle amount state, and when it is in the high particle amount state, it is temporarily determined to be activated, and when it is in the low particle amount state, it is temporarily determined to be stopped. . This is because when the air particle amount state in the passenger compartment is in a high particle amount state, the air can be effectively decomposed by ozone in a situation where there are many particles such as mold in the air. is there.

  When it is determined that the operation is temporarily performed in at least one of the operation condition based on the temperature and humidity and the operation condition based on the particle amount, the operation is finally determined, and the generator 36 performs corona discharge. If ozone is to be generated (step S7) and it is not determined to be activated in any case, it is finally determined that the operation is stopped because ozone cannot be effectively generated even if ozone is generated. Then, the generator 36 and the blower fan 37 that may be driven in steps S3 and S5 are stopped (step S8), and the control is terminated.

  When the generator 36 is operated to generate ozone in step S7, the control device 40 drives the blower fan 37 (step S9). Then, the ozone generated by the generator 36 is sent out to the middle position of the defroster duct 26 by the blower fan 37, blown out from the outlet 30 through the defroster duct 26, and rises along the front windshield 13. 14 diffuses within. In particular, since ozone is heavier than air, blowing out upwards in this way decomposes odors such as resin materials and sterilizes molds while slowly descending from a high position. Note that the shape of the defroster duct 26 is such that an air flow toward the vehicle compartment 14 is likely to be generated, so that most of the air flow including ozone by the blower fan 37 flows to the vehicle compartment 14 side. Further, even if a small amount flows backward to the air conditioner unit 16 side, sterilization on the air conditioner unit 16 side is performed, which is not wasted.

When a predetermined time set in advance in step S10 has elapsed, the generator 36 and the blower fan 37 are stopped in step S8, and the control is terminated.
If the detected value of the battery voltage sensor 48 is equal to or smaller than the predetermined value in step S2, the generator 36 and the blower fan 37 are stopped in step S8 and the control is terminated.
Note that step S10 may be omitted, and after step S9, the process may return to step S1. That is, after ozone is generated by the generator 36, the generator 36 and the blower fan 37 are stopped when the battery voltage drop is detected or it is determined that the ozone generation is stopped, and the occupant gets on the vehicle again. In that case, it switches to negative ions.

  According to the vehicle interior air cleaning device 35 of the present embodiment described above, the control device 40 detects the presence or absence of an occupant in the vehicle compartment 14, the ignition key 42, the door opening / closing sensor 43, and the vehicle interior. The generator 36 is operated based on the detection results of the temperature sensor 45, the humidity sensor 46, and the particle sensor 47 that detect the state of air in the interior 14 to supply ozone into the passenger compartment 14. Thus, since the generator 36 is operated based on the detection result of the air state in the passenger compartment 14, the generator 36 is driven when the air state in the passenger compartment 14 does not need to generate ozone. Therefore, it is possible to prevent wasteful consumption of power. Therefore, wasteful power consumption can be suppressed by operating efficiently.

  Further, since the generator 36 is connected to the midway position of the defroster duct 26 of the air conditioner 15, ozone and negative ions can be supplied into the passenger compartment 14 using the defroster duct 26. Therefore, since the path length until ozone and negative ions generated by the generator 36 are supplied to the passenger compartment 14 can be shortened, attenuation of ozone and negative ions can be suppressed. In addition, since the defroster duct 26 is used, ozone and negative ions are blown from the blowout port 30 for the defroster directed upward to the passenger compartment 14 to the upper interior of the passenger compartment 14 and diffused throughout the passenger compartment 14. The effect can be enhanced. In addition, since ozone and negative ions are supplied through the defroster duct 26, it is possible to reduce off-flavors during operation of the air conditioner 15.

  Furthermore, since the generator 36 includes the dedicated blower fan 37, ozone can be supplied into the passenger compartment 14 without driving the blower that consumes a large amount of power in the air conditioner 15. In addition, since the generator 36 is connected to an intermediate position of the defroster duct 26 of the air conditioner 15, the path length can be shortened, so that even a small blower fan 37 can sufficiently supply ozone into the passenger compartment 14. Thus, the generator 36 can be reduced in size and power consumption. The generator 36 may be disposed in the defroster duct 26 instead of being connected to the portion connected to the defroster duct 26 as described above.

  Moreover, since the temperature sensor 45, the humidity sensor 46, and the particle | grain sensor 47 detect the state of the air in the compartment 14, the state of the air in the compartment 14 can be detected exactly.

  In addition, the seat sensor 41, the ignition key 42, and the door opening / closing sensor 43 detect the presence or absence of an occupant in the passenger compartment 14, and if it is determined that no occupant is present in the passenger compartment 14, ozone is generated while the occupant is present. When it is determined that the negative ions are generated, the air can be optimally cleaned with or without a passenger.

  Furthermore, since ozone and negative ions can be generated by one generator 36, the cost can be reduced.

  In addition, since the battery voltage sensor 48 is used, it is possible to regulate a reduction in the amount of charge of the battery, and to prevent the battery from running out.

  The temperature sensor 45, the humidity sensor 46, and the particle sensor 47 may be provided with at least one of them to detect the air condition.

  Moreover, you may make it change the operating intensity | strength of the generator 36 according to conditions, and if it controls in this way, it will operate | move more efficiently and can further suppress useless power consumption. The change in the operation intensity can be performed, for example, by adjusting the intervals of the operation time and the stop time while alternately performing the operation and the stop. For example, if the operation time is lengthened and the stop time is shortened, the operation strength is increased, and if the operation time is shortened and the stop time is lengthened, the operation strength is decreased.

1 is a side cross-sectional view schematically showing a main part of a vehicle to which a vehicle interior air cleaning device of an embodiment of the present invention is applied. It is a control system block diagram of the vehicle interior air purifier of one embodiment of the present invention. It is a control flowchart of the vehicle interior air cleaning apparatus of one Embodiment of this invention. It is a graph which shows the operating condition of the generator in the vehicle interior air purifier of one Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

14 compartment 15 air conditioner 26 defroster duct 36 generator 37 blower fan 40 control device (occupant detection means, control means)
41 Seat sensor (occupant detection means)
42 Ignition key (occupant detection means)
43 Door open / close sensor (occupant detection means)
45 Temperature sensor (vehicle compartment air condition detection means)
46 Humidity sensor (vehicle compartment air condition detection means)
47 Particle sensor (vehicle cabin air condition detection means)

Claims (4)

Occupant detection means for detecting the presence or absence of an occupant in the passenger compartment;
A vehicle interior air condition detecting means for detecting an air condition in the vehicle interior;
A generator for supplying ozone into the passenger compartment;
A vehicle interior air cleaning device comprising: control means for controlling the operation of the generator based on detection results of the occupant detection means and the vehicle interior air condition detection means.   The vehicle interior air purifier according to claim 1, wherein the generator is connected to a midway position of a defroster duct of the air conditioner.   The vehicle interior air purifier according to claim 2, wherein the generator includes a dedicated blower fan. The vehicle interior according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the vehicle interior air condition detection means detects at least one of air temperature, humidity, and air particle amount in the vehicle interior. Air cleaning device.

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